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Title:

Url:

http://usarmy.vo.llnwd.net/e1/soldiers/archives/pdfs/may08all.pdf

Creator:

Description: The scene has played out in countless movies: A mother and father are eating dinner when they hear a knock at the door. The father answers, separated from a lone Soldier by a screen door. The mother joins her husband at the door, the camera zooms in on the Soldier, and music drowns out what he says.

The mother throws herself into her husband's arms, and the Soldier's lips form the words, "I'm so sorry."

That is how the movies leave the family, alone and grieving. But that's only in the movies.

In reality, when a Soldier is killed in combat, an entirely different scenario transpires, according to Soldiers at the Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Center. The process of notifying a family about the death of a loved one is one action in a series of events that begin before a casualty-notification officer makes the solemn walk to a family's front door.

This article describes those events that are intended to help surviving family members deal with the emotional, administrative and financial effects of their loss.

Author's Comments

Classification:

Family (LCSH)
Death (LCSH)
Active Duty Service Members (LCSH)
Casualty Assistance Program (LCSH)

Date Issued:

2008

Resource Type:

Journal Article (DCMI Type Vocabulary)

Format:

pdf

Audience:

Researchers/Academic
Parents of Service Members
Military Families and Service Members
Health Care and Service Providers: Military
Health Care and Service Providers: Civilian

Language:

English

Rights:

Unless otherwise indicated (and except for “by permission” and copyright items),

Coverage:

Soldier’s death triggers a series of events intended to help family

Source:

S o l d i e r s Magazine M ay 2 0 0 8 I V o l U M E 6 3 , N O. 5

Email Address:

patricia.martinez.ctr@usuhs.mil

Date Of Record Creation:

2010-04-10 06:51:31 (W3C-DTF)

Date Of Record Release:

2010-04-10 07:05:19 (W3C-DTF)

Date Record Checked:

2010-04-10 (W3C-DTF)

Date Last Modified:

2010-04-10 07:11:50 (W3C-DTF)

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